A couple of days before the "theme" was announced, I parked next to a pickup with a magnetic sign "San Angelo Paranormal Studies" on the door. The driver was loading groceries in his truck and I approached him with the idea to let me do this challenge entry on him and his "team".

The story evolved as we talked and this entry is the result.

Shot with a Panasonic PV GS500, Rode StereoVideoMic, a few lights, and edited in Pinnacle Studio 11.1.1 Plus.

”Ghosts were people too?” I love it! So you’re telling us this is a real business with gadgets and everything, or am I just an airhead?

Your documentary style movies are interesting on multiple levels, Bruce. On this one I had to chuckle at the ghost dude sinking through the floor and then the study guy looking like, “Oh heck, now I gotta go under the house.” I don’t know if you meant for that to elicit smiles or not but I was thoroughly entertained, and if I know you, that’s a selling point, regardless of your original intent. I really appreciate you trying new things; you’ve got more guts than I do. :)

Bravo for getting yet another movie done, and tell your actors, especially the little girl, that they did a good job, too. Between DVC and UWOL, how many movies have you cranked out this year, anyway? Which reminds me, congratulations on your co-win in the other challenge!

Bruce:

Your getting to be a regular Ripley Believe it Or Not.

I would not have gone under the house !! Nice scary feel to that.

Can you give us more of a background on this. Does this guy make a living doing this ?

Nothing really happened in the end, but I was into it to see what would.
The keying could really use some work, and a basic mask, though a bit tedious, would really help with that.
The acting felt a bit forced, to be honest, though also sorta funny, if that's what you were going for.
Most of the editing was alright, but be careful not to do any jump cuts-- change depth as you cut, rather than just changing slight angle.
Shot on the same camera as my short, I see (coming later this week).
I felt more like the guy I was watching was taking a big risk and should be scared, not scared myself. It's very hard bringing the audience into the mood, rather than just watching the mood, so keep working on that.
I liked "were", in the motto. Quite funny.
The bones were quite convincing. Good job there.

There you are! Nice to "see" you again.

lol! Like Lorinda, I really enjoyed the matter of fact "I guess I'm gonna have to get under the house."

I liked the lighting you came up with inside the house. Crushed black look. Nice. The bones were great. May I ask where you got those?

Your choice in the music from smartsound was good. I thought it fit your film well.

The young lady Rachel did a nice job too.

I think that's a great story about getting them to be in this film. I believe they are real folks that actually do paranormal investigations. Isn't that right? Perhaps you could follow them around on some of their more intense cases and do a little documentary?

”Ghosts were people too?” I love it! So you’re telling us this is a real business with gadgets and everything, or am I just an airhead?

He doesn't charge anything, but has formed a real team and believes in what he does. From what he tells me, many other similar groups also do not charge.
[I]
Your documentary style movies are interesting on multiple levels, Bruce. On this one I had to chuckle at the ghost dude sinking through the floor and then the study guy looking like, “Oh heck, now I gotta go under the house.” I don’t know if you meant for that to elicit smiles or not but I was thoroughly entertained, and if I know you, that’s a selling point, regardless of your original intent. I really appreciate you trying new things; you’ve got more guts than I do. :)

This idea came from one of his real studies. Someone had told this old man there might be remains under his house. Darin told me he was going to try to get permission to crawl under that man's house and see just what was there.
[I]
Bravo for getting yet another movie done, and tell your actors, especially the little girl, that they did a good job, too. Between DVC and UWOL, how many movies have you cranked out this year, anyway? Which reminds me, congratulations on your co-win in the other challenge!

8 I think. Have to go back and count. Interesting note: Rachel, the young girl, told me she has been seeing ghosts as far back as she could remember. She say she was playing with one when she was 3 years old.

She's actually a member of Darin's team and sees a ghost in her home regularly. She says she is not scared of them.

Bruce:

I would not have gone under the house !! Nice scary feel to that.


I didn't. My mama didn't raise no stupid kids, no telling what is under houses especially when you can't see at night.

For that sequence we went out to our gun club range after dark, where we had the place to ourselves anyway. I got the camera about 2 inches off the dirt and Darin got down and crawled on his belly towards me.

For the bones in the dirt we smoothed out some sandy soil and then roughed it a bit with a broom, then laid the bones down. Again the camera was about 2 inches off the ground as it skimmed along the "remains".


Can you give us more of a background on this. Does this guy make a living doing this ?

See my reply to Lorinda.

Nothing really happened in the end, but I was into it to see what would.
The keying could really use some work, and a basic mask, though a bit tedious, would really help with that.
The acting felt a bit forced, to be honest, though also sorta funny, if that's what you were going for.
Most of the editing was alright, but be careful not to do any jump cuts-- change depth as you cut, rather than just changing slight angle.
Shot on the same camera as my short, I see (coming later this week).
I felt more like the guy I was watching was taking a big risk and should be scared, not scared myself. It's very hard bringing the audience into the mood, rather than just watching the mood, so keep working on that.
I liked "were", in the motto. Quite funny.
The bones were quite convincing. Good job there.

Lotta good points Daniel. Acting was forced, this was Darin's and AFAIK Rachel's first attempts at acting. Fortunately it does seem a bit humorous.

I'm painfully aware of the jump cuts. Fact is that house was so full of "stuff" I could not move enough to change angle dramatically enough. And some of the folks helping turned out to have limited time to work there so I was "rushed".

Yeah, sounds like excuses. But you're right on with all points noted.

The "ghost" sinking through the floor should have been done with green screen. As it was I took him ourdoors, lit him with one light and tilted the camera up. With only black for a key I experimented with lumakey until something worked. I should have had him wave or give the finger or something as he sank down.

I liked the lighting you came up with inside the house. Crushed black look. Nice. The bones were great. May I ask where you got those?

Lighting: Simple coil shape flourescents in reflectors. Those folks turn the lights out and do infrared scans, thermal readings, and magnetic field readings in the dark. I had to have some light for video so I went for a very short lighting on the faces with a lot of contrast. And I did crush the black level in post.

Bones: The Gothic Collection's "Bag Of Bones" found in the Halloween shop in the local mall. 18 pieces, made of foam.


The young lady Rachel did a nice job too.

I think that's a great story about getting them to be in this film. I believe they are real folks that actually do paranormal investigations. Isn't that right? Perhaps you could follow them around on some of their more intense cases and do a little documentary?

I'll pass your complement on to her.

Yes, they are real folks, as a matter of fact I'm joining them tomorrow night. The director at Fort Concho is having them do an investigation in the restored Officers Quarters #1 where some "sightings" have supposedly been reported. I wanted to do some cast and crew comments and interviews for a "bonus feature" to go on the DVD I'll be giving them in return for their help and if the "nightshot" mode on one of my older cameras will co-operate I will film some of their activities in the dark.

Bruce - the scariest thing for me was watching that umm - extremely ample - guy try to squeeze his bulk into that surprisingly convenient under-house access panel - where there are at the very least SPIDERS and stuff and darkness and maybe even dreaded dampness. Sorry, crawl spaces are not my thing. Been there done that and was not fun. That's why we build on slabs out west.

So I guess you scared me, huh ?

Bruce, that was a good, scary movie! Well made!
No way I'm going under that house.

Bruce,

Great bag of bones, got to get that. I loved the little girl, and the premise of the story. Paranormal investigations.

No one commented on your closing "Yorick" lines. I thought that was damn funny!

Dick

so you didn't get to experience any actual ghostly activity on this outing? rats. well, now that you've made friends in the paranormal investigation biz, hopefully you can scare up some real live spectres.

i just find it amazing that you shoulder-tap these strangers and they agree to star in your little schemes! that's great, wish i had your GUTS (oh, are the puns over yet?). half the battle in making good docs--or good re-enactments, in this case--is getting folks to step up.

it's true that you are probably DVinfo's most prolific film dude, bruce. me and dylan ought to put our heads together and figure out who produced the most contest films this year and give 'em the Golden Tripod award or something for being foolish, er I mean, courageous enough to play our silly games. you are one of the truly cross-genre players. congrats on another interesting topic.

that bag o bones worked great...the lighting on that shot made it look very realistic.

Bruce:

Great job! I too loved the "Well I guess I gotta get under the house" line.

Randy

Bruce, I’ve always liked the “ghost hunter” shows so right off the bat I knew I would like yours. I actually got to work with a real ghost hunter a few times so I can say that you faithfully reproduced an authentic, ambient, eere environment through your subdued dialog and the light of your infrared monitors. I don’t know what might have caused your music transitions to end so abruptly but that took me out of the moment a few times. By the way, where did you get the bones?

Hi Bruce,

I liked the Shakespeare homage at the end of the credits.

Nice work,

I like any horror film that doesn't take itself too seriously.

...

Yes, they are real folks, as a matter of fact I'm joining them tomorrow night. The director at Fort Concho is having them do an investigation in the restored Officers Quarters #1 where some "sightings" have supposedly been reported. I wanted to do some cast and crew comments and interviews for a "bonus feature" to go on the DVD I'll be giving them in return for their help and if the "nightshot" mode on one of my older cameras will co-operate I will film some of their activities in the dark.

Let us know what happens. Hopefully you will get to see or hear a ghost. I think it is fascinating that the young lady has been seeing and talking to them since a very young age.

great concept, i liked the bones too :-) "them bones ahhhhh".

I think the little girl's acting was convincing while the guys obviously have the scripted feel to their talk (you know, the chemistry thing). Guess you can emphasize her talent in future productions.

Cheers

Let us know what happens. Hopefully you will get to see or hear a ghost. I think it is fascinating that the young lady has been seeing and talking to them since a very young age.

Very interesting evening. Fort Concho officers quarters #1, frequent reports of sightings through the years of ghost of young girl playing. Rocking chair rocking with no one visible.

13 year old Edith Grierson, daughter of Col Grierson commander of the 10th Cavalry at Fort Concho, died of Typhoid in 1879. So that's who this team was looking for. Col. Grierson and family occupied this same quarters.

I videotaped very short interviews with main characters of "Unwelcome Resident" while infrared cameras were being setup in 2 rooms upstairs and 1 room downstairs and before "lights out". They work in total darkness.

I videotaped with a Sony HC21 that has a limited IR nightshot mode and just tried to get some general investigative activity. After I came downstairs Rachel and another young woman came down the stairs as fast as they could in the dark.

Some presence had indicated it wanted them to leave. They said they didn't think it was Edith

Anyway I'm editing that footage tonight, will have someone tape me doing a few remarks and once all that is edited I'll have the "featurette" ready to put online.

Thanks so much for the report Bruce. That is truly fascinating and I look forward to the interviews. :)

Hi Bruce.
What a great video and scary too.
You are lucky to have friends (I guess it's your friends or perhaps family?) acting in your videos.
A spooky one and as always you have nice angles and the one of the skeleton under the house was great. Where did you find the skeleton, just wonder? I thought that maybe there would come a snake lurking under the house or something attacking the man crawling under the house. But the skeleton was great. Your editing skills are fine and the music is just perfect.
I envy you as I've seen your wildlife films and your just as great in this kind of topics (DVC).
It's 6.30am over here and in 2 hours I'm heading back home from work.
Maybe I'll try to film something for uwol6 on sunday.

Wish you all the best.
Geir Inge

Well, Geir,

I didn't know these folks, just met them a couple days before the theme was announced. They were mostly "acting" what they do on a case.

For the scary part under the house, we weren't really under a house. We went out to our gun club range and I had Darin get down in the dirt on his belly. Lighting was from a very low angle and I tried to light nothing but him.

The "skeleton" was sold as a "Bag Of Bones" in a Halloween concession in our mall. Items were all made of foam.

Glad you enjoyed it. And good luck on the UWOL#6.

Finally got this finished. This is the "bonus feature" I put on the DVD of "Unwelcome Resident" I made for cast and crew.

While I personally observed no paranormal activity except for the "orbs" picked up by Darin's IR cameras and displayed on his monitor, something interesting and unusual did happen while filming my comments outside Officers Quarters #1 at Fort Concho.

Chris Beach was operating the camera for me when he suddenly exclaimed, "This camera has a mind of it's own".

It began a slow zoom without the zoom rocker being depressed. He got it stopped and zoomed back to where he wanted it and as I stepped over it did it again while I watched it.

Was it a one time "fluke" or was something "playing" with me?

Here's the link: http://www.fortvir.net/gallery2/P3U_videos/Bif/SAPS_bts.wmv.html

That was very fascinating. Love the orbs too. Thank you very much for posting this! Will you be going on additional investigations?